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Sunday, February 8, 2009

The people at Obedience, Petsmart, the park, the beach, etc, aren't REALLY people, to Marge anyway. They do not count; they are not scary. We went back to pick up a new bag of treats, and Petsmart was PACKED. I didn't see Marge's tail go between her legs even once. She has very much picked up on the idea that targeting people means food, which is good, at least from a socialization point of view. One lady gently scratched her neck and she didn't bug out, either.

And the park was swamped, too, in more ways than one. I'm happy we didn't go to the dog park, because I would have come home with a chocolate lab instead of a black one. It was muddy. And, there were lots of half-people too. Joggers, mothers with strollers, the ONLY thing that really got to Marge just a little bit was a whole gang of little kids passing so she was squeezed and felt like they were going to run into her. But, nothing too dramatic. She made quick-friends with a couple of doggies and then practiced passing some dogs/people while at heel. She did great!

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About MargeBlog

MargeBlog started in early 2009 as a training journal for my newly adopted, skittish Lab mix, Marge. Marge's world was small back then; her fears really limited the things I could do with her. Aside from trips to the park and attending beginner training classes, Marge was mostly a stay at home gal - not because either of us wanted her to be, just because the demons from her unsuitable upbringing continued to haunt her.

Slowly, the fear diminished, her world grew. Now, Marge is a fun-loving, squirrel-chasing, winning Agility and Rally dog who accompanies me to a wide variety of places. Here, you will frequently find detailed training updates, snippets from Marge's every day life at home, and photo-filled posts detailing our many outdoor adventures.

This is more than just a dog blog - it is an actual look in to what one shelter dog's life ultimately became when she found her first and forever home and began to blossom.

About Marge

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A rescue from Georgia bounced around from shelter to shelter and state to state with her siblings, Marge did not have the luxury of living in a home - my home - until just past her first birthday. A life behind bars had taken its toll on Marge, whose obvious fear of people, noise, and city life in general left a lot for her to learn about how to get by in New York.

Marge is a different dog now than she was back then. It took years of new, positive life experiences, but her fears, which used to consume everything we did, are now only one theme in a great big book of adventures.

These days, Marge enjoys going to training classes, taking trips to agility trials, having play dates with friends, and eating anything that's even remotely edible - not bad for a dog who spent her puppy days in cages.

My time with Marge has been a learning experience for which I am ever grateful. As my first dog, she has taught me and continues to teach me so much more than I ever imagined about dogs, training, and behavioral/fear issues. She's a fun dog with a sense of humor who loves life and learning.